Electronic devices often include surface mounted parts that are placed on a substrate then bonded to solder pads during a solder reflow process in which heat is applied to the substrate. Conventionally, a surface mounted part is placed onto the substrate, then solder disposed between the solder pads and the part liquefies during the reflow process. The substrate is then cooled, and the solder hardens to bond terminals of the part to solder pads of the substrate.
A surface mounted part can easily be placed incorrectly on the substrate during the assembly process, in which case the part can be bonded in an incorrect orientation, resulting in mechanical and electrical defects. To solve this problem, a fixture can be designed to hold the part in place during reflow. Alternatively, a top pallet can be constructed with cutouts for the surface mounted parts. The top pallet is laid over the substrate to eliminate part movement during reflow. Both of these solutions can be expensive and labor-intensive, however, and this cost is often passed on to the customer in the form of increased product costs.
Thus, what is needed is a better way to properly align components in an electronic device.